


I Need To Protect You

by FeelTheFiction



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV), Peter Pan & Related Fandoms
Genre: Arguing, Eventual Fluff, F/M, Love Confessions, Mentions of Rape, resolved tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-26
Updated: 2019-03-26
Packaged: 2019-12-18 03:16:58
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,942
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18241289
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FeelTheFiction/pseuds/FeelTheFiction
Summary: You want to walk around Neverland by yourself, but Felix is worried about your safety and is reluctant to let you.





	I Need To Protect You

Your hands carefully grasped the dreamshade vine, fingers lightly directing it to hang above the open jar on the ground before you. Collecting dreamshade was one of the most stressful jobs on the island, but since the Lost Boys had discovered your hands were tinier than all of theirs and could manoeuvre around the spikes easier than theirs could, they had unanimously made you the chief poison collector.

 

Taking a steadying’ breath, you slowly brought your other hand, the one which held the tiny, thin-bladed cutting knife, up to the very tip of the poisonous thorn and sliced it open. The dark liquid oozed out into the jar, finally filling it to the very top.

 

“You do that well,” Felix said.

 

You rolled your eyes and screwed the lid onto the jar, ensuring it was tight and not leaking. “Well, I’d do it better if I had help.”

 

Turning, you saw that he was in the same position he had been for the last fifteen minutes, leaning casually against one of the trees behind you with his club swung over his shoulder. The way he carried himself so confidently yet so unpretentiously had always been attractive to you. Felix’s reserved nature was a welcome change from the rowdy Lost Boys you had to deal with for most of the day. He wasn’t bad to look at either.

 

He was lanky to be sure, but you couldn’t help but taken with the soft stormy grey of his eyes when he looked at you. Not to mention his smile which, when he was genuinely happy, was so gorgeous it literally made your heart flutter. Other women you had met on the island never seemed to share your attraction to Felix. Tinkerbell had told you how his stone-hearted attitude and the scar that ran down his right cheek had always turned her off. However, you didn’t mind the scar (you thought it was kind of sexy (if you were being honest) and these past few months Felix had become less callous towards you, which had led to the realisation that your feelings towards him had evolved into something beyond friendship.

 

Of course, you’d never admit any of this to him. However the fact that he always accompanied you when you left camp only encouraged your feelings. He only did it because you were friends, and spending time together was what friends did. You had to keep reminding yourself that your relationship was nothing more than platonic.

 

“My hands are too big to collect dreamshade. I’d cut myself.” Felix said. “Besides, if I was helping you collect dreamshade I wouldn’t be able to keep watch.”

 

“You say that as if I actually need you here to keep watch. I’ve been on this island long enough to know the dangers of it, I don’t need you here to protect me.”

 

Felix chuckled. “Of course you do. You may have been here for a few years but that’s barely any time in Neverland, and you still have a lot to learn about the dangers here.”

 

You scoffed, not replying and shoving the jar of dreamshade into the satchel on your side. SO that was why Felix came with you. Not because you were friends, but because he thought you were some kind of damsel in distress? Did he really believe that you still needed to be chaperoned around the island like some stupid child? It was him that had taught you how to use the dagger strapped in your belt, him that had trained with you for months until you became a good fighter. He even told you less than a week ago that your skills with your weapon were probably better than some of the Lost Boys, so had all of that just been to humour you?

 

_Thickheaded Lost Boy_ , you thought. No matter how strong your feelings towards him were becoming, he could still be a real pain the ass sometimes.

 

You sighed heavily, standing up and walking past Felix back into the jungle. “Y/N.” He called as you walked onto the track.

 

You sped up your pace, hoping to stay a few feet in front of him on the trek back to camp. But in a few seconds, Felix and his annoyingly long legs had easily caught up to you. You walked a little quicker, moving your legs as fast as they would go without making you look ridiculous, but of course he easily matched that pace as well.

 

“You’re angry with me.” He said, walking beside you with ease.

 

“I’m not.” You replied. It was difficult not to show you were becoming breathless. “I just want to get home.”

 

“Then why are you trying to leave me behind?”

 

“I told you, I just want to get back to camp.”

 

“Because you’re angry with me.”

 

You spun around and shoved your arms into his chest as hard you could. Felix stumbled back, surprised, but quickly regained his footing. He opened his mouth to say something but you cut him off.

 

“I’m getting really sick of you telling me what I am, Felix.” You spat.

 

“What’s that supposed to mean?” He said. “Is this because I said you can’t protect yourself? Because it’s the truth, you know. You can’t - not on Neverland. Not right now anyway.”

 

“You told me the other day that I was a better fighter than some of the Lost Boys and now you tell me that I can’t protect myself?” You threw your hands up as you spoke. “Which is it, Felix? Do you think I can fight or not?”

 

“Of course I think you can fight Y/N, just not well enough to protect yourself if you’re alone. That’s why I come with you when you leave camp.” Felix said.

 

You laughed humourlessly. “Oh but it’s alright for any of the boys to go out by themselves, isn’t it? You never seem to have a problem with any of the new recruits trekking off into the jungle alone, even when they’ve barely held a weapon before. But oh no, a stupid, weak little girl like me couldn’t handle her own!”

 

“This isn’t about what _you_ can do!” He shouted, walking forward until you were only a few feet apart. Felix’s height made you have to tilt your head up to look at him properly. His eyes were frustrated, which made you even madder. You were the one who had the right to be angry, not him.

 

“How? How is it not about what I can do? It’s myself that I have to protect, isn’t it? And you’re saying my skills aren’t good enough!” You shouted.

 

“It’s about what _others_ could do to _you_ Y/N!” Felix yelled. “It doesn’t matter if one of the boys go off alone, because if they’re attacked they’ll probably be taken as hostages. We can get hostages back. But if a band of pirates find a pretty girl like you alone in the jungle, it won’t matter how good you are with your dagger because they will overpower you and they will _take you,_ do you understand?”

 

You stood staring at him for a few seconds, silent. Of course you knew the dangers of men like pirates. All girls did. And like all girls your worst nightmares consisted of things that dishonourable men would do to you if they found you alone and defenceless. These things obviously frightened you, you just never thought they’d frighten Felix this much.

 

Felix’s chest heaved slightly beneath his shirt. You could hear him breathing through his nose, though that didn’t surprise you considering how close you were. The realisation of your close proximity to him instantly made you nervous, but there was no way you were going to back down now. His concern for your wellbeing made you feel… well, you weren’t actually sure what that feeling in your chest was, but it wasn’t going to make you back down now.

 

You were a Lost Girl. You were relentless. Even if the fear of pirates and their dirty ways still lingered in the shadows of the jungle, you were still determined to be able to walk the island by yourself. You needed to prove you were capable.

 

“Tinkerbell goes off into the jungle alone. Hell, she even lives in the jungle alone.” You said your words as calmly as you could. “Her knowledge of plants and magic is useful to all of us so why are you okay with her doing-“

 

“I don’t care about Tinkerbell,” Felix growled, taking another step towards you. His eyes locked onto yours with an intensity you’d never seen in them before and you tried to ignore how much it apparently turned you on when he growled like that. Apart from his eyes though, his face was completely unreadable. You hated that. How were you meant to plan your next move if you didn’t have the slightest idea what he was thinking?

 

“Of course you care about Tinkerbell. She’s valuable to us and she’s my friend. She’s healed your wounds more than once as well.” You said.

 

Felix sighed deeply, closing his eyes for a few seconds. “Fine. I care about her a little, but not as much as I care about you. If the pirates took you-“ He stopped mid-sentence, like he was struggling to find the right words.

 

It was odd, seeing someone who was usually so composed suddenly so emotional. Could he really care about you that much? A spark of hope re-ignited in your chest, one that said he might return your feelings, but you tried to push it away. You had to stay focused. You were still mad at him. You were.

 

“If the pirates took me?” You prompted. You didn’t expect your voice to come out as soft as it did.

 

Felix looked at you silently for a few seconds before finally answering. “If the pirates took you we would wage a war against them. One bloodier than Neverland has ever known. There would be fire and torture and death, and I would make sure that any pirate that laid had _ever_ his hands on you would suffer as he has _never_ suffered before. That's what I’d do if the pirates took you.” He said. “But even then what’s been done can’t be undone. I wouldn’t be able to take away what they would do to you. How they would abuse you. And I don’t think I could live with myself if I ever let that happen to you.”

 

You were stunned. Felix wasn’t one to lie about something so brutal. He truly meant what he said. That feeling, the one caused by earlier admission of caring for you, only grew in your chest. It threatened to overwhelm you, but you forced it back down. You couldn’t relent, not now, but you couldn’t stay mad at him either, not after learning his reasoning for wanting to protect you. Not after knowing how fiercely he wanted you to be safe.

 

Irrational, intrusive thoughts about his feelings towards you started to bombard your head. Did boys normally feel so strongly about their female friend’s safety? Or was this intensity of emotion only reserved for girls they had romantic feelings for? Did that mean Felix liked you? That he wanted you to be his?

 

You were aware of the close proximity that had developed between you two. It’s not like you could close that distance though, he was too tall for that. You wouldn’t anyway, even if you could. You couldn’t risk it, not even if his recent words very heavily suggested that he felt the same way about you as you did about him.

 

“You wouldn’t let it happen to me Felix, it wouldn’t be your fault at all.” You said. “The only blame would rest with the pirates.”

 

“And yet no matter who the blame falls to, you would still be the one that they raped.”

 

You sighed, finally breaking eye contact with him and looking at your feet. “I didn’t realise you cared this much about my safety and I appreciate that you do but I can’t keep on having you as my babysitter. The people on this island: the pirates, the Lost Boys and anyone else will have more reason to think I’m weak, to think I’m an easy target if I can’t even leave camp alone.”

 

Felix looked off to the side. His previously emotionless face had cracked and given way to a pained expression that told you he was fighting a battle in his mind. When he finally looked back at you, he stepped forward again, bringing his face even closer than before. He was so close in fact, that you could smell the smoke of last night’s bonfire that lingered on his clothes.

 

“I’m just frightened that someone is going to hurt you I won’t be there to stop them.” He said, softer than he’d ever spoken to you before.

 

“I know you want to protect me,” you lowered your voice to his level and looked into his eyes again, “I can see that now, but I know how to fight. I can be quite ferocious when I want to be.”

 

He chuckled. “Oh, I know. I’m your teacher remember? I’ve experienced that ferocity firsthand.”

 

His face was only inches from yours now and it was then that you looked away from his eyes and saw that gorgeous smile of his.

 

“What is it?” Felix asked. He tilted his head to the side and searched your face. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

 

“I just- it’s just-“ You stuttered. Damn it, why were you so nervous all of a sudden? So what if your crush was within kissing distance and your heart was racing much faster than it should’ve been? You’d been held hostage by the Indians before. You should’ve been able to handle this simple conversation. “I just think that you have a really nice smile.”

 

“Is that so?” He raised an eyebrow, keeping the smile on his face. “Is that why you’re blushing?”

 

“What? No. I’m not-“ You stammered. “It’s just- I was just pointing out, that, objectively, your smile-“

 

Your words were cut off when he leant down and pressed his lips against yours. You were too surprised to move at first, but you regained your senses after your heart had momentarily stopped. Closing your eyes you kissed him back with fervour. You heard the thud of his club hitting the ground and then felt one of his hands cup your cheek while the other encircled your waist. You stood on your toes and wrapped your hands around his neck, deepening the kiss by reaching a hand up and running it through his hair. Thank god your satchel was too small to get in the way of anything.

 

Felix’s lips weren’t soft (he was a Lost Boy after all) but how he kissed you was. He pulled you closer to him, the hand cupping your cheek sliding up into your hair. He was kissing you. Felix, who’d you’d been crushing on for months, who’d you’d secretly watch when he trained shirtless, was actually kissing you. He felt for you the same way you felt for him. You didn’t think you’d ever been as happy as you were now.

 

Too soon he pulled away and rested his forehead against yours. The kiss had only lasted a few seconds but both of you were breathless. Neither of you made any move to let go of the other. You were perfectly content holding each other like this.

 

“So does this mean I’m yours now?” You asked, still out of breath.

 

“Yes.” He paused, then looked down at your anxiously. “That is if you want to be.”

 

“Of course I do.” You said. “And you’re mine?”

 

“Unquestionably.”

 

You smiled. “This wasn’t how I imagined this was going to go.”

 

He laughed. You noticed how his eyes scrunched up when he did that and decided it was cute. “Me neither. But I’m not complaining.”

 

“I was supposed to be yelling at you, you know.”

 

“Are you still mad at me?” He asked. His voice was light, but he still sounded worried.

 

You placed another quick kiss his lips. “No. I’m not mad. But I do still want to leave camp by myself.”

 

Felix sighed and lifted his head up, his features concerned. “Do you really to go off on your own that much?”

 

“I want independence Felix, so yes.” You said. “And this should be my decision anyway, not yours.”

 

He considered this for a moment, thinking while staring off into the jungle. When he turned back to face you, you looked at him with much desperation as you could muster. “Fine. I’ll let you go into the jungle alone as long as you _always_ tell me or Pan when and where you’re going, and if you train with me every other day to make sure you can always be ready for a fight.” He said. “Those are my terms.”

 

“I accept.” You said. You smiled up at him, brushing a few loose strands of hair out of his face. “They are quite reasonable terms, after all.”

 

“I’m glad you’re pleased.” He kissed your forehead. “The only thing I want more than your safety is your happiness.”

 

You pulled your arms down from his shoulders and put them around his waist, hugging him tightly. Instantly his arms held you closer, one hand cradling the back of your head. You couldn’t tell if it was his height, his string arms or something else, but his hugs felt like pure warmth.

 

And you’d never felt better.


End file.
